


Above All Else

by theGirlwithtoomanyOTPs



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, InoShikaCho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:03:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3664917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theGirlwithtoomanyOTPs/pseuds/theGirlwithtoomanyOTPs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had duty above all else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Above All Else

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my joint project with tsubazsa_1742 Confessions of Love. **I am accepting prompts.** Thank you for reading.
> 
>  
> 
> Writing this broke my heart. I don't know if you guys don't feel upset by this but I did. It broke my heart and I almost cried while writing this. My friend was right. I **am** a sadistic masochist.

It wasn't something he planned but it was something he'd known would be inevitable.

"You sure about this?" She asked with a soft frown. She knew what it meant. What he was doing.

It would work, they knew. She was the Kazekage's sister; the greatest kunoichi the Sand will have in the longest time. He was the clan heir to a formidable family. He was the advisor to Leaf's kage; could be kage if he'd wanted it. They liked each other enough, too. Respected each other and trusted and valued each other just enough. It would work for both of them and both villages. Not just now but even in the future. They would leave a legacy and forge an alliance stronger than ever before.

It was for the best. Truly, it was.

He shrugged noncommitally, as if this engagement wasn't something _huge_.

She watched how his shoulders slumped defeatedly and knew he wasn't turning back.

She looked at him carefully for a moment then let out a breath. " _Alright_."

It shouldn't be the worst decision she'd ever made. Could possibly be one of the easiest ones.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru married Temari of the Sand two months later. It was one of the biggest weddings Konoha had ever witnessed, only second to the Shodaime Hokage and Mito Uzumaki's generations ago.

Akimichi Chouji stood as his best man; followed by the Hokage himself, Kiba, Shino and Lee.

The bride's entourage was all her friends from Konoha, to welcome her. Sakura, Hinata and Tenten.

Yamanaka attendees said their clan head was still in bed, sick with the flu for days.

 

The clouds that usually held Shikamaru's interest were particularly boring today so he closed his eyes, hoping for a quiet nap.

He found the steady crackle of the bag of chips (he'd counted nine over the past hour by the shakes Chouji made once empty) making the task difficult.

Chouji was usually the best company when Shikamaru went to go cloud watching. He was quiet and rarely bothered him, preferring to eat and add more to his chakra. If he ever did speak, it was with interesting questions or stories he'd yet to tell. He never had to pretend enthusiasm unlike with their female teammate.

Not that he did it much with Ino as it was too much effort to even try to think her line of thoughts about clothes and boys and flowers and trainings and basically everything that happened between the past few hours they hadn't spent together. He already knew everything else so why need to repeat anything? But then again, he didn't bother stopping her. She was, by all means, a force of nature. Unstoppable.

You don't stand in the way of a hurricane. _You ran and hide._

But Ino wasn't a hurricane and she sought you out if she wanted your attention. And she always wanted his. That part was troublesome.

But he didn't deny her his attention, truly. You could never. Ino was gravity itself. And gravity just superimposes itself on you in way you can't deny ithat it's there . Like Ino. She's perpetually there. _In his life_. And he wouldn't give that up. Not when he basked in her presence. Not when he craved her warmth. Not when he desired her love.

He could tell her he was troublesome or she was a bossy woman or that what she wanted to do was such a drag but she would still be the woman he loved and worshipped and will forever treasure.

But sometimes things just can't be.

"You should talk to her." Chouji said, laying down beside him, murmuring that he needed more chips.

Shikamaru opened his eyes to glare at his best friend. And then his eyes narrowed back to the clouds. He did wanted to talk to her. But what else could he say? Even unspoken, she already knew by heart what words he'd say. There was truly nothing more to talk about. Everything had been said and done.

They were the clan heirs. They'd been drilled the responsibilities for most of their lives. Their first oaths were to each other.

* * *

_"Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka stand as one. Sons and daughters to fight as one. Heads, hearts and souls as one. For love of family, friends and Konoha I will  
fulfill my oath until my final breath at the end of my days."_

_Shikamaru unkneeled his knobby knees and looked up for the first time as he stood up._

_In front of him was another boy and girl of his age, standing apart and facing the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clan Memorial on different angles. Like him and everyone else, they had been made to wear yukatas with their clan symbols on their backs and both sides of their chests._

_The boy had spiky, brown hair, swirl marks on his cheeks, and like the rest of his clan, he has a more robust physique. He said, "I will protect Yamanaka and Nara."_

_The Yamanaka produced a heiress. She was a fair-skinned girl stark blue eyes. She had short pale blonde hair that hadn't been grown out yet as was their clan tradition. She had clips on it to make sure her bangs didn't get in the way. She had the biggest pout Shikamaru had ever seen a girl make. She recited, "I will defend Nara and Akimichi."_

_Shikamaru exhaled low once and could feel his father's heated gaze on the back of his head. He knew his line. He hadn't forgotten. The old man worried too much. "I will preserve Akimichi and Yamanaka."_

_Shikamaru counted to three and as one, three young voices proclaimed, "Ino-Shika-Cho will live forever on."_

_Shikamaru looked at the huge rock and wondered when this would all end when the elder men with Sarutobi symbols on their own yukatas stepped froward to the clan heads. In Shikamaru's family, it meant his Dad. They held up their palms up. The three men immediately removed their earrings and handed them over._

_As one, they said, "To our children we hand the future."_

_The Sarutobi men then turned to the children and placed the earrings in a small box placed in front of the stone. A tall young man, with brown eyes, short, black spiky hair, and beginnings of a beard stepped forward and pocketed the box._

_"When you become genin, you shall wear these earrings so that you will never forget your oath as it will whisper your sacred words into your ears."_

* * *

Shikamaru ran a hand over the old stone and at the earrings they'd received from Asuma when they all became chuunin in place of their parents'. They'd given back the old ones to be considered adults by their respective clans.

When he made that oath, he forgotten it until the day those boys teased Chouji and refused to play with a _fat_ kid. He defended him, not just out of duty, but because Chouji was a very nice boy. They were instant friends. The oath felt like a gift from his ancestors, making sure their descendants had the nicest friends and had the most trustworthy comrades.

And then came Ino.

He bitterly smiled. He wanted to crush the stupid boulder with his fingers. He didn’t care if he bled or if he wouldn’t be able to use his hands again. All pain was worth what he wanted to have

If it hadn't been for that stupid troublesome oath.

* * *

_"Do you think you're the first two to fall in love with each other?" Choza snapped at all three of them. He'd never once raised his voice on any of them. But right now he was talking to the future clan heads. The heirs of his fallen friends. Friends who'd kept their oaths until the very end. They would have to do the same as every one before them. "You can't marry within the three clans! It had been forbidden even before Konohagakure was founded! My own father had been in love with Shikamaru's great aunt!"_

_Shikamaru already knew this. Chouji knew this. Ino knew this. There really was no point._

_Nara Shikari was an old maid, living out the last few days of her life. She'd been the heiress long ago and failed to produce a new heir. She hadn't want to be married. The headship had then been passed on to her younger brother, Shikamaru's grandfather Shikako._

_Akimichi Choujuro married a cousin thrice removed and had fathered three sons. The eldest was the current patriarch, Akimichi Chouza._

_No heir was allowed to marry another heir. And they were expected to produce the next generation to continue the InoShikaChou tradition as was decreed. To produce a powerful three-man team with their respective clan jutsus for their family and for Konoha._

_The pact had always been black and white. Only the heirs. Always everything only heavily applied to the heirs._

_Of course their love would be forbidden._

_Shikamaru felt anger racing through him._

_He hadn't wanted this. Hadn't sign his name in blood for this. Hadn't chosen this path. Everything had been thrust to him from birth._

_It was all so unfair and he couldn't bear to do this anymore._

_"May I please be excused?"_

_Ino didn't wait for a reply and rose from the cushion and left without another word. Shikamaru didn't follow her; half in surprise and half in his fury._

_"Forget this ever happened, boys," Chouza said, sounding old and tired. "Forget it."_

_Chouza reached for his tea and looked away from the two friends. Duty was duty, he'd always told Chouji. Your words are you. Your words mean your honor. Your words should never be broken._

_Their audience was done._

_Chouji stood up and waited for his friend with a sad and worried frown. They'd known this would be the answer. But they'd hoped... They'd hope maybe... somehow..._

_After a few moments, Shikamaru's fists uncurled and he stood up. He gave a stiff bow and made to leave, putting a hand on Chouji's shoulder. A silent message that he needed to be alone._

_"There'll be someone else, Shikamaru." Chouza said gently. He stopped in his tracks for a moment before leaving in haste._

_The next day, Naruto called him for a mission. He'd been assigned to see to the Sunagakure envoy's month-long stay when they arrive the next week._

* * *

He watched cooly as Sai walked Ino home.

He had been leaning against the wall across the street, hidden in the shadows and was fighting the urge to light up a cigarette. She never liked the vice and became upset when he came to her smelling of that wretched smoke.

"Good night, Sai," Ino was saying to the pale shinobi as she fumbled for her keys. "I had a nice night. I'll see you around?"

Sai did not smile. Simply, he said, "I wish to see you again tomorrow evening. Can I pick you up after your shift with Sakura-chan?"

Ino's suprise was evident in the way her eyes had widened slightly, almost like the time when Shikamaru had first placed a well-timed kiss on her soft lips when they were fifteen.

"Well, I suppose..." She said hesitantly, trying to make up her mind. Then she saw him. She would know him from anywhere. From the tips of his hair, to the rigid planes of his back, to the sound of his dragging approach. She would know him, even fully hidden by the shadows he used as a shinobi. Her eyes steeled over. "I'll see you, Sai. I'll be out by eight."

"Alright," the artist smiled softly and leaned, kissing her cheek. "Good night, Ino-hime."

Then he was gone.

He left Ino standing frozen and Shikamaru choking back down his anger and jealousy with little success.

He'd kissed her. He'd touched her. Called her Ino-hime the way he did when he worshipped her body slowly and surely in way only he knew how.

Shikamaru forced himself to calm down as he made his way to Ino.

It was a torturous process; one feet in front of the other _, he kissed her!_ One feet in front of the other. _**He kissed Ino!** _

He took a deep breath and looked up.

She was too beautiful and something inside him broke, making his chest ache.

The moonlight made her paler and made her hair white. Her pink lips quivered and her eyes shone like sapphires. Her brows furrowed.

That something inside Shikamaru shattered and he knew this was it.

They'd been friends for so long. They'd been teammates for so long. They'd been lovers for so long.

There was no more need for words.

 _Duty above all else_ , Shikaku told him on his twelfth birthday, just before he graduated the Academy. Inoichi had told his daughter the same.

Tears started building up Ino's eyes and it took everything in him to look back at her without doing anything to stop them and keep them from falling. His hands made shaking rock-hard fists inside his pockets.

Ino smiled tartly and she whispered, "it was a good date. He's almost human."

He tried to answer but the words were stuck in his throat and his mouth had gone dry. He coughed and gave an acrid smirk. "You'll have a fun turning the creep to something decent. Might take you years, though."

_Chouchou was born fifteen months later._

"Don't be such a pessimist," she tried to joke but failed to hide the crack in her voice as her tears fell down her cheeks in a steady stream. "I'm the great Yamanaka Ino. I can do anything."

_Inojin was born seventeen months later._

I don't doubt it, Ino, Shikamaru thinks and he feels his chest tighten.

He swallowed, feeling as if he was drowning, that he was choking, that he needed air. He watched the tears flow freely and without pause. He couldn't do this anymore.

_Kami help me._

"I'm marrying Temari."

She swallowed thickly and smiled warmly up to her lover. "Congratulations--"

He captured her lips with his, hands on her face and desperate for her.

She cried more as she kissed him as fiercely as possible, hands fisting on his shirt, pulling him to her as close as she could.

His mouth forced hers open, searching for the taste of her that brought nothing but warmth and comfort and satisfaction but all he tasted was her grief and the salt of her tears and he felt like he would die then and there.

Her lips and tongue were just as insistent and rash. More, more and more and it was heartbreaking. She was naturally sweet but this kiss felt tainted and false. It felt like a goodbye. It couldn't end this way, could it?

Their love was true and their love was real. Their love was strong and their love was overwhelming and unconditional.

It couldn't just end.

He never told her before. He would never have the chance again.

He hadn't realized he was crying as well until he pulled back, buried his face in her neck and hugged her small frame as tight as he could without hurting her.

"I love you, Ino," he sobbed hysterically. She had to know. She had to. "I love you, I love you, I love you..."

She weeped and cradled him to her, "I know... I love you, too, Shika... I love you, too..."

* * *

He pressed a final kiss on her lips as he finished getting dressed. Her eyes were still puffy and she had only passed out in exhaustion of them making love and crying together.

He didn't look back as he left with a weary and broken heart.

* * *

_"Alright."_

Temari took the ring from him and placed it on her finger. She looked at it for a few moments and then turned to leave.

They walked to Shikamaru's home slowly, in their normal pace and the normal space between them, in silence.

Shikamaru ignored the stares on his fiancee's ring as they walked through town.

_Nara Shikadai was born nineteen months later._

**Author's Note:**

> No offense to the SaiIno or ShikaTema fans, please. I truly see the potential between ShikaTema. I've been a fan. But my OTP lies with Shikamaru and Ino.
> 
>  
> 
> **Also, I'm not sure who came first (Chouchou, Inojin or Shikadai) but in my mind I see it as either Ino or Shikamaru only doing the deed and expecting only when the other announces it. In this story, Ino gives birth first because she's stubborn and wants to show the rest that she's moved on from Shikamaru and Shikamaru only got Temari pregnant _after_ Ino starts to show or something. (Plus, in my mind, that's how Ino ends up marrying Sai, anyway. Because she needs a partner as of course, her clan elders would be scandalized that she's going to be a mother and clan head when she's not married. And Sai is a great shinobi and all. Handsome. And because she doesn't want her baby to end up without a father. And maybe to get back at Shikamaru in her whole immature-but-just-really-hurting kind of way. And Sai doesn't have a last name. He takes Ino's family name.) I know Chouji's older than them and that here Chouchou is too. I just thought that their oaths also requires them to have kids around the same age because that means they graduate the Academy together so on and so forth. So, that's how the kids come in. When one of them starts expecting, the other two should follow.**
> 
>  
> 
> Kudos are very much appreciated.


End file.
